Retrograde: SEMA360 Panel Discusses Today’s Tuner Car Market
Actors Sung Kang and Daniel Wu join Kenji Sumino of GReddy Performance to discuss the tuner market and a special Honda S800.
SEMA as we know and love was cancelled this year because, well 2020. However, SEMA360 is offering much the same content in a virtual format. Some of that content was a roundtable discussion event held to discuss the tuner car market overall as well as a deeper dive into a special Honda S800 build that was done last year by actor Daniel Wu. Joining Wu was fellow actor Sung Kang, who you will recognize from the “Fast and Furious” film franchise. The President of GReddy Performance, Kenji Sumino was also on the panel with Mike Spagnola from SEMA.
Topics covered ranged from what is hot in the market right, and what the future looks like to a detailed look at specific SEMA builds of the past. Most notable of the builds is the Honda S800 that Wu built for a previous SEMA event, way back in the days when we could go to shows in person. Last year. The panel is an interesting mix of personalities with a fascinating insight into the tuner car market.
The discussion began with a chat about what vehicles are hot in the market right now. Everyone agreed that the cars of the ‘90s are where it is at. The Supra and the RX-7 were two examples called out. Kang felt that the younger generation is key. He believes they have a romantic notion of owning a classic car and the cars of this era appeal to them. Wu added that it is not just the younger crowd, but the folks that are now in the fourth or fifth decade of their lives were young when these cars were new. They lusted after them back in the day but could not afford them until recently and that is also helping to drive the popularity.
Spagnola asked Kang what effect the “Fast and Furious” had on the market. He felt that it made it accessible. It put the turner world out there for everyone to see. Another major contributor to the accessibility of the hobby according to Sumino is YouTube. The video platform has made it so easy for enthusiasts to watch and learn and get inspired by others. The amount of information out there is mind-boggling. You can learn to build a car from the ground up if you watch enough. Although Sumino cautioned that just because you watch two YouTube videos that doesn’t make you an expert car builder.
Another aspect of the tuner car market, and really just the car enthusiast world in general that the entire panel agreed on was how it brings people together. Kang, Wu, and Spagnola all spoke about being in different parts of the world and despite what may be cultural differences, the passion for the automobile brough folks together. Speaking about cars helps to break down barriers and that is something we desperately could use more of right now.
Kang spoke next about his 240Z build and how that came about. He started with a dream of building a custom Porsche 911. He spoke with well-known Porsche aficionado Magnus Walker to get the ball rolling. However, the boss of the household, Kang’s wife, told him it was going to be too expensive to build the 911. Kang then settled for the 240Z. Settled might not be the right word, because while the 240Z is not a 911, the build turned out wonderful. But maybe not as wonderful as the car that Wu would eventually build.
Wu was a SEMA veteran and he noticed that American muscle cars were everywhere. Big power cars were always in the spotlight, so he decided he wanted to go in the total opposite direction. It doesn’t get much more opposite than the diminutive Honda S800. The car was never imported to the U.S. and parts were difficult to come by. Wu joined a number of online forums and eventually connected with a gentleman based in Germany. This man had a comprehensive catalog of parts for the little Honda. The car turned out so well that Honda decided to feature as part of their 60 years in the U.S. display at SEMA in 2019.
Focusing again to the tuner car world, Sumino spoke about how the industry evolved. His first car was a Honda Civic. He tweaked the audio system on it, but there were not a lot of quality performance parts around at the time. People would head to the local hardware store for some PVC pipe and try to build their own intake. Eventually people took notice and began to produce quality intake and exhaust systems for the Japanese market cars. From there the market grew and grew to what we have today.
What we have today is a flourishing industry. Even in the time of COVID, the aftermarket industry is hot. During times of lockdown the one thing people could still do was work on their cars. Kang hopes that continues with the next generation. He is worried that with the new electric cars that the ability to work on them and customize will be limited. Sumino thinks that the ability to tune will always be there, but the key to the future is to produce aftermarket parts that are still fun but street legal and comply with ever tightening emissions standards. One thing everyone did agree one is that the tuner market is healthier than ever right now.
Photos: Hoonigan AutoFocus YouTube Channel
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